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Elections in Afghanistan are choice of Afghans: Sweden's ambassador

Politics Materials 20 August 2009 18:34 (UTC +04:00)

Azerbaijan, Baku, August 20 / Trend E. Ostapenko /

Despite support of the international community, Afghans themselves are running the presidential elections in Afghanistan. It is a positive sigh, Sweden's Ambassador in Afghanistan, Svante Kilander, said, EU message reported.   

"There is a sense and a spirit of democracy in Afghanistan. That spirit is crying out to be expressed. The EU and others are here and offer support, but it is an Afghan-run election and that is a positive sign", Sweden's Ambassador and representative of the EU Presidency in Afghanistan, Svante Kilander, said.

The elections of the president and members of provincial councils are being held in the Islamic republic of Afghanistan on August 20.

About 17 million people of 29 million Afghani population have election right. 

There is low voters' turnout at election districts. Current presidential elections are the second ones after U.S military operation was launched in Afghanistan in 2001.

The first democratic election was held in 2004, when the current President Hamid Karzai came to power.

Afghanistan's President is elected for five years. Some 40 candidates are contesting the election.

Key candidates for president are current president Hamid Karzai, former Foreign Minister Abdullah Abdullah and former Finance Minister Ashraf Gani Ahmadzi.

According to poll, Karzai is likely to win at elections. But he can fail to get necessity number of votes to avoid the second tour, Reuters said. One of the most important election issues is corruption, ambassador said.

"It is a major problem that is widespread in the country. I think the candidates and voters are all agreed on this", he says.

Ambassador appraised presense of two women among candidates for president as they spoke a lot about the position and rights of Afghan women.

They were the first to be invited to the meetings that the Swedish Embassy held with around ten candidates ahead of the election, ambassador said.

EU participation is not a one-off event in Afghanistan, Kilander said.

"Now there is the presidential election and within the next year there will also be parliamentary elections. So this is not a one-off event, it is a part of larger context in which the EU plays a significant role."

The EU will hold a dialogue with the government and President who take over. It can also act as a sounding board, ambassador said.  

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